UT NIL $ by Sport

[taylorvol]

This is an educated GUESS at to NIL budget for 2026 rosters at UT. NIL spend isn’t public information but I think these numbers are in the ballpark (pun intended)—especially for football and basketball. I’m less confident about baseball and LV bball. Thoughts? I’m floored as I never dreamed it would come to this in college athletics. As someone I know says, it’s unprofessional sports!

Football. $35M
Basketball $17M
Baseball. $2M
LV Basketball $2.5M

 

[THEONLYTENISEE]

This is an educated GUESS at to NIL budget for 2026 rosters at UT. NIL spend isn’t public information but I think these numbers are in the ballpark (pun intended)—especially for football and basketball. I’m less confident about baseball and LV bball. Thoughts? I’m floored as I never dreamed it would come to this in college athletics. As someone I know says, it’s unprofessional sports!

Football. $35M
Basketball $17M
Baseball. $2M
LV Basketball $2.5M

How do we stack up compared to the nation? Like Top 5 in each sport?

 

[bpalmer28]

My guess about your guess is that baseball is low considering the number of players on our roster who passed up MLB signing bonuses to be here.

 

[VolatileVol]

Are we spending $35m on football? That figure is double of what most sites imply we are spending.

Looks like we are spending amongst the top 10-15 schools in football and basketball at quick glance. Little behind in other sports.

 

[Volinnooga]

What education did you use to make this educated guess? Not being a smart a
Alek— just wondered where you got your int…

 

[taylorvol]

What education did you use to make this educated guess? Not being a smart a
Alek— just wondered where you got your int…

High level feedback from a few beat writers and a few boosters but nothing concrete. It’s likely directionally accurate but is likely a fluid number based on potential player/s they are seeking and the contracts they are demanding. Big boosters have big egos and some would write a check with lots of zeros if the coach asked them and felt that it could be the difference between making the Elite 8 or playing for the NC.

 

[taylorvol]

Are we spending $35m on football? That figure is double of what most sites imply we are spending.

Looks like we are spending amongst the top 10-15 schools in football and basketball at quick glance. Little behind in other sports.

I’m highly confident that UT is spending north of $30M in football—-at least 4 beat writers think they are. With that said, who really knows the truth except for Spyre and the coaches. I think most of the kids exaggerate what they are making, and their agents certainly do to help drive up the market.

 

[WallyBalls]

I’m highly confident that UT is spending north of $30M in football—-at least 4 beat writers think they are. With that said, who really knows the truth except for Spyre and the coaches. I think most of the kids exaggerate what they are making, and their agents certainly do to help drive up the market.

If I had one wish in this era, its that the players/schools/conferences/NCAA could somehow chlorinate the agent pool. Seek input from the professional leagues. Help these kids get with actual, professional representatives.

For every decent representative that handles business appropriately, it seems like there's a dozen more fly by night guys willing to lie to their client, lie to the schools, lie as a media source, and lie in the portal. There's a certain aspect of playing the game in negotiations, but what a lot of these guys are doing is pitiful and winds up hurting both the athlete and school.

Wishful thinking, I know...

 

[GSPVol]

We're paying women's basketball more than baseball? Incredible.

 

[preacherman20]

How do you spend more on Women's Basketball with just a few players more than what you spend on baseball that has a NC? Tell me again that there was not a problem that led to Tony looking.

 

[taylorvol]

How do you spend more on Women's Basketball with just a few players more than what you spend on baseball that has a NC? Tell me again that there was not a problem that led to Tony looking.

Because Danny White hired Kim Caldwell and wanted to ensure she succeeded. Danny gave her a top 5 NIL budget in women’s basketball. Danny didn’t like that CTV didn’t just grin and bear it. CTV rightfully asked and fought for every possible resource. The big donors were very good to CTV but the LV getting a bigger allocation of official NIL $ and revenue share really chapped his arse. Danny and CTV had a poor relationship. I’m sure that CTV was hard to manage but Danny should have figured out how to improve his relationship with a generational coach that just won a NC. I truly believe Danny White was NOT sad to see CTV leave for the Giants.

And no, I’m not saying the above was the reason CTV left for the Giants, but it sure as heck didn’t help.

Rant over…

 

[Baseball25]

Gee, LV Basketball more than baseball? No wonder TV left.

 

[OrangeAllDay]

Because Danny White hired Kim Caldwell and wanted to ensure she succeeded. Danny gave her a top 5 NIL budget in women’s basketball. Danny didn’t like that CTV didn’t just grin and bear it. CTV rightfully asked and fought for every possible resource. The big donors were very good to CTV but the LV getting a bigger allocation of official NIL $ and revenue share really chapped his arse. Danny and CTV had a poor relationship. I’m sure that CTV was hard to manage but Danny should have figured out how to improve his relationship with a generational coach that just won a NC. I truly believe Danny White was NOT sad to see CTV leave for the Giants.

And no, I’m not saying the above was the reason CTV left for the Giants, but it sure as heck didn’t help.

Rant over…

If Danny gave Tony what the Arkansas and LSU baseball programs got he’d still be here. Not like I know that 100%, but there’s a good case to be made that the intellectually lazy “it’s the majors stupid” people don’t want to acknowledge. At the very least our “great” AD made the choice to leave that much easier. Maybe I’m in the wrong, but I expect an actual great AD to make decisions to leave harder, but what do I know. Especially when it’s the only coach you got that’s actually won a championship

 

[taylorvol]

How do we stack up compared to the nation? Like Top 5 in each sport?

I’m not sure. Rumors are OH St football NiL is approaching $50M but again, who knows what’s true? I would guess UTs NIL spend is top 15 in football, top 10 in basketball, top 5 in LV basketball, and top 20 in baseball?

 

[freedom fighter]

We're paying women's basketball more than baseball? Incredible.

why Tony left and DW is 100% to blame

 

[SGMVols]

DW made Tony the highest paid coach in college baseball and spent 9 figures building him a new stadium (even after the final price tag came in more than triple the original budget due to inflation and an unexpected issue with utilities).

Tony was not mistreated here lol. Y'all just want someone to blame for the fact he got offered a better job and took it. Nobody is ever going to turn down the Giants for college baseball.

Pat Summitt is a huge part of our legacy, WBB is our historically winningest sport and we are not going to hang an 8x championship program out to dry.

 

[Bigvalley84]

I’ll admit I don’t know how the NIL works , there’s revenue sharing plus part of the season ticket price goes to NIL I think , can the former players contribute to it ie Moore , Dollander , Crochett and a bunch of others , DW also hired E so hopefully he has a competitive NIL budget

 

[preacherman20]

DW made Tony the highest paid coach in college baseball and spent 9 figures building him a new stadium (even after the final price tag came in more than triple the original budget due to inflation and an unexpected issue with utilities).

Tony was not mistreated here lol. Y'all just want someone to blame for the fact he got offered a better job and took it. Nobody is ever going to turn down the Giants for college baseball.

Pat Summitt is a huge part of our legacy, WBB is our historically winningest sport and we are not going to hang an 8x championship program out to dry.

Was a huge Pat Summitt fan but she has been gone 14 years. You can't hang onto what happened 14 years ago. In college sports, you must live in the present. The present state is that WBB is not very good and baseball is currently your most productive sport so why would you invest more in the other sport.

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

Was a huge Pat Summitt fan but she has been gone 14 years. You can't hang onto what happened 14 years ago. In college sports, you must live in the present. The present state is that WBB is not very good and baseball is currently your most productive sport so why would you invest more in the other sport.

Obviously current success isn't the only factor in funding since the football Vols haven't won a Natty since 1998 and Pat Summitt won her last one in 2008.

Basketball is just a bigger sport at UT because of the Summitt dynasty being foundational for the new era of women's college basketball.

Certainly Tony V had a great run recently but expecting baseball to compete for money with football or women's basketball at UT where the legacy is deep is a hard ask.

 

[SamDaisyDuke]

Was a huge Pat Summitt fan but she has been gone 14 years. You can't hang onto what happened 14 years ago. In college sports, you must live in the present. The present state is that WBB is not very good and baseball is currently your most productive sport so why would you invest more in the other sport.

Revenue. Money talks. Why not invest more in womens golf? They just won an SEC championship.

 

[SGMVols]

Was a huge Pat Summitt fan but she has been gone 14 years. You can't hang onto what happened 14 years ago. In college sports, you must live in the present. The present state is that WBB is not very good and baseball is currently your most productive sport so why would you invest more in the other sport.

By this logic we should stop funding football since they have not won a championship this century.

 

[preacherman20]

I obviously do not keep up with finances in WBB. I just do not see the following as big as baseball but I may be wrong. I know there are a large group of older Summitt fans that still support women's basketball because they were her fans.
Yes, I would put a production clause in every coach's salary. You only get certain money if you win. But I also know football is king and that is where most of the money is coming from. If you are not a revenue producing sport it should be tied to wins. Just my thoughts.

 

[TrumpedUpVol]

Spending $35MM/year on a football team whose best showing since Hendon was getting boatraced by the eventual national champion is wild to me unless the consistent power brokers are spending $50MM+.

I get that a huge payroll doesn't guarantee a title, but I just cannot fathom a program with the historic stature of Tennessee looking like a fringe playoff team at best if they're also spending competitively.

Yes, I would put a production clause in every coach's salary. You only get certain money if you win.

I love this idea for players, frankly. It's tough to make contracts more punitive for anyone, but the incentivization concept of having a $20MM basketball roster with an additional $2MM per player guaranteed for a national championship would be interesting. Expensive, obviously, but surely there's one booster who'd pay $20MM for a national title.

 

[taylorvol]

Revenue. Money talks. Why not invest more in womens golf? They just won an SEC championship.

Baseball basically broke even last year while the LV lost millions.

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

I love this idea for players, frankly. It's tough to make contracts more punitive for anyone, but the incentivization concept of having a $20MM basketball roster with an additional $2MM per player guaranteed for a national championship would be interesting. Expensive, obviously, but surely there's one booster who'd pay $20MM for a national title.

Heupel's contract has playoff incentives and likely other incentives for wins, etc. I feel certain Barnes likely does also. All the coaches have those built in to their contract, I'd bet.

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